Dopamine
by Cogtio Ergo Sum
Summary: High school AU. It's Erza's senior year of high school and her crush leads her into more than she may have asked for. Follow the two best friends Erza and Natsu as they learn not only more about each other, but life in general. Deals with drugs, alcohol, and that annoying desperation of wanting to know if he really likes you back. NaZa (hopefully).
1. Chapter 1

Erza sat in the lecture hall wishing she was somewhere else, preferably two rows in front of here where a blob of messy pink hair dangled off its owners head. She shook the thoughts away feeling betrayed by her own will to _not _think of anyone like that, she was fine by herself, thank you very much. Sighing, she realized her neighboring classmates had mysteriously decided that today they couldn't muster up the courage to attend second block, not that she blamed them of course, she was nearly falling asleep as their teacher droned on about economics. It was dull, very dull.

She looked away from the projector, which was displaying the slideshow that her notes corresponded with, and her eyes automatically resumed their pervious mission to deny any sense of independence and stare at the stupid boy two rows ahead. She nearly growled to herself when she didn't even stop to think about that action before she had gone and done it.

"And now for the project you've all been waiting for," the teacher proclaimed, and some of the students perked up at this, Erza stopped mentally berating herself and listened, knowing that the final econ project was a group project. The class was actually two classes combined but she kept her fingers crossed knowing that somehow her bad luck had to wear off soon. People began to get eliminated in pairs and she smiled in her mind as his name and her name had both been yet to be called, she internally thanked the teacher when her name was read, "Erza and Natsu," he said simply, as if he didn't just make her day.

She turned her head up to look at him and saw that he was already looking at her, his typical grin in place as he gather his belongings to come sit next to her seat. "What luck!" She said as he approached, her smile soft and genuine.

"I know," Natsu replied sitting down, "what are the chances we'd get paired together?" It was rhetorical of course but Erza couldn't help but wonder if there was some greater power at work, after all what are the chances she'd get transferred into this class second semester? She smiled because Natsu was one of her best friends and as much as she wanted to deny it, she had always harbored secret feelings for the boy.

On the outside she never let it show, she wanted for all she was worth to forget about her trivial feelings and not ruin the bond her and Natsu already shared but he always had a special way of making her feel better.

By now the teacher had begun to explain the directions, something along the lines of selling a product via some simulation and attempting to make the most profit. It was an inter-class challenge, she didn't want to care about actually winning but she was competitive. Eager to get to work or, more so, bored of listening to the never-ending instructions, she started to pack her bag along with a few other students anticipating the end of the teachers directions. She slipped her small black notebook in with the rest of her belongings and patiently waited.

In due time the class had reached the library and each checked out a laptop for each pair, Natsu logged on using his account and went to the startup page for the simulator. Erza allowed him to take control, she wasn't usually like this, in fact she would often times intimidate the rest of her classmates into listening to her, which typically worked, but she liked to follow Natsu for some reason.

"Do you know what we're doing?" He asked her. She opened her mouth to answer but then realized that she hadn't been paying attention in the slightest. He cheeks grew pink ever so softly and she shook her head.

"I… wasn't listening for the life of me" Erza replied. Natsu laughed and told her he wasn't either and she wondered with some type of mystical curiosity what it was that was able to capture his attention over the lesson. Pushing it aside she looked over at the other screens around her and quickly deduced what they were doing. She moved the laptop towards her and navigated the home screen until theirs matched everyone else's.

The class was nearing its end and Erza knew that today was just a practice round for when they did the actual tournament the next week, so she wasn't too worried about her grade knowing it didn't really matter. Together her and Natsu filled out the worksheet and entered in their prices and different orders. When they finished they waited for the rest of the class, the screen showed an animation of day and then fast-forwarded it to night, once the morning came back the screen showed the rankings of who sold the most product, who made the most money and other ways to track each teams progress. Natsu and Erza looked through the list in anticipation.

"Seriously? Last place?" She groaned, "We suck." Natsu just laughed saying it didn't matter anyways, they would come back during the real tournament. She watched as he began to pick fights with the other classmates, boasting about how his team was going to win the whole competition when it mattered. Erza face palmed, not feeling confident in her economic prowess in the slightest.

As the students all sat awaiting the bell signaling their freedom, conversation began to sprout up. A blue haired girl named Levy made her way towards Erza and Natsu. Erza was on friendly terms with her but never actually taken the time to become close friends with her, they ran in different crowds. However apparently her and Natsu didn't, Erza quickly stopped herself from feeling jealously towards the girl as she sat there as the third wheel of their conversation.

However suddenly Levy turned to her, "Are you going to prom, Erza?" She questioned.

Erza ran her fingers through her scarlet hair, "No one has asked me…" she said, acting as if she didn't care. In truth, it didn't matter all that much to her, she has been to plenty of dances and has never found that much enjoyment in them. However, a small part of her, the one she tried to push down, wanted to be girly and look nice, wanted to hold hands and slow dance as strong arms embraced her. She knew it was impossible, she couldn't allow herself to act like that; she was too prideful and too independent to want to rely on anyone anyways.

"Oh," Levy said, brushing past the topic, "What about you, Natsu? Are you going to prom?" Erza waited for his answer, she watched his eyes darken and his eyebrow twitched in annoyance, his expression didn't seem much different from Erza's flippant one when she answered the same question.

"My parents are making me go." He said shortly. Erza giggled internally at his annoyance. He must hate the idea of dressing up and going to a formal event, he was too much of a free spirit to ever want to act all fancy. His parents seemed harmless enough, they were controlling, and she knew that, but good people all the same. The Scarlet's and Dragneel's have been family friends since Erza was in middle school. She liked them but knew they could be a little overprotective, she didn't blame them too much, left to his own devices Natsu would probably blow up the house.

When the ball rang and the mob congested the exit as students struggled to push themselves through all at the same time. In the middle, slowly inching their way forward, Erza and Natsu continued on with their conversation, "Where are you going next?" Natsu asked.

"I'm a student assistant for Makarov, I'm helping with freshman P.E." She told him.

He snickered at her, "You have to stay at school still! That sucks! I'm free at last!" He laughed and she hit him, annoyed but smiling nonetheless.

"I stay at school for the whole day, every day. You are just a slacker."

"Nonsense! I only stay for as long as I have to, then I'm out of this hellhole." He was disgruntled, Erza knew how much he hated having to follow the same schedule every day, and frankly she did too, but she was much better at distancing herself from that discomfort than him.

Together the two made their way through the crowd, sarcastic banter flowing naturally with the ebb and flow of the conversation. Erza looked ahead and saw a blonde gliding her way down the hallway, her hair straight and styled unlike her own which she hadn't even bothered to brush that morning. She walked with her many friends laughing loudly, a white smile, tanned skin and suddenly Erza found herself annoyed.

Natsu didn't even seem to notice her but Erza saw the other girls chocolate brown eyes stare them both down. Erza only kept on walking as if she didn't feel the glare boring holes in the back of her head. About halfway to their destination he brought her up having actually noticed her, "Did you see Lucy?" He said smirking.

Erza looked at him questionably, "No when?" she feinted ignorance, not wanting to seem as if she cared.

"She was watching us," he stated bluntly.

"Oh… so, where do you guys stand nowadays?" Erza prayed that she didn't come off as wanting to know for own sake, she was just curious after all. Lucy was once her best friend, she confided quite a bit in her, which is something she had never done before. However, as soon as Lucy became a Junior (and Erza became a Senior) she changed quite drastically. Erza was quite sad to lose another best friend as all her previous ones had either moved away or found a new crowd. Before Erza and Lucy had their falling out, however, Lucy would often times talk about her and Natsu's relationship. Though they were never actually dating they were pegged as a couple and had even shared some intimate moments together.

"Where do we stand?" He questioned as if it was ridiculous to even ask that. "She's gotten so full of herself ever since this year started, I haven't really been into making conversation with her." He said an annoyed expression.

This only lightened Erza's as she always hoped that Natsu still didn't feel strongly about Lucy. After all she was nothing like Lucy. She didn't spend time making sure her hair looked shiny, she didn't pick out outfits because they were cute (comfort was the number one priority for snoozing in class after all), and she could never be vulnerable enough to warrant his attention. It wasn't that she was jealous of Lucy, mostly that she was different, and she was independent, Lucy needed people, Erza was strong and capable of lasting even if she was by herself.

"Yeah, she kind of left me for her old friends…" Erza said to Natsu. She was sad but she acted as if it didn't bother her. She acted a lot, so much so that she wasn't sure when she was actually confident or when she was just pretending to be. Though that seemed to be the purpose of such a psychology, she thought.

"Ah whatever, she so consumed with all this popularity stuff! Who cares anyways?" Erza smiled at what he said. She didn't care, maybe there was a time when she did but now the only thing that mattered to her was her opinion of herself.

By the time they had walked to the exit of the school the bell had rang signaling the start of the next class. "I'm late." Erza said her glare clearly blaming Natsu.

He nervously scratched the back of his head, "You didn't have to walk with me!" He defended himself.

Erza just turned around, sharing small smile with herself, "I'll see you later." She said without turning around. She heard Natsu cheerful goodbye and found herself smiling despite being tardy.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Erza had finished school, her day had leveled out in terms of excitement. Although she loved Makarov's P.E. class she found it difficult to deal with the freshmen and their minute understanding on how to flirt with a girl. To put it simply, they we're shameless. She, of course, never one to blush in the face of awkward exchanges, dealt with the unwanted attention by ignoring it.

Her lunch went the same as always, it was typically a bit lonely because most upperclassmen decide to not have a fourth hour so the cafeteria is usually filled with people who she didn't necessarily associate with. Her final class of the day was AP English. It was both her favorite and least favorite class. On one hand she loved the challenge but on the other hand the grading was hard and her teacher could be ruthless. She left with a bright smile however because her teacher had announced that they would be reading the play _Macbeth _next and Erza was selected to read the part of Lady Macbeth.

Deep down she had always loved plays, to be able to be such an important character was a big deal to her. Which is why she spent the next ten minutes telling her current best friend all about it.

"Mirajane, you wouldn't believe it! Well, actually, you would but isn't it exciting?! I'm Lady Macbeth!" She told her silver haired friend as they walked to the locker rooms.

Mira simply smiled at her friend, happy to see her so excited. "You do realize it's just for your English class right?" She asked the redhead.

Erza just looked forward as if seeing something Mira didn't, "Still… every play is a work of art no matter where it's preformed. My only hope is that I do it justice." Her mouth set in a determined grim line, she paused to let her words sink in and then opened the door to the girl's locker room. Inside was a handful of other girls changing into their work out clothes, Erza smiled as they each greeted her.

Mirajane watched as Erza's grin grew in the presence of her teammates and she sighed, "You are quite dramatic…" she said, mostly to herself, "you should be fine." It was both reassuring and lighthearted.

The conversation drifted as the girls got ready for their practice, Cana turned to look at Erza and asked, "What are you going to do about state finals being on the same day as prom?"

Erza sighed, she was captain and founder of the girl's wrestling club for her high school, she wanted to pave the way for a future for other females in the sport. She had been doing a good job of it too, the started the team with just four girls her sophomore year: herself, Lucy, Mirajane, and Cana and three years later the team has gone from just four members to over twenty. She was honestly surprised with the reception it received but knew a lot of it was in part to Makarov because he would often encourage the girls in his P.E. class to join.

She owed a lot to Makarov and considered the man family. Although he was irresponsible, hopeless with organization, and just a plain pain in the butt to the administration, his classes always had the most fun and he tended to make a bigger impact as a teacher compared to the others that only stuck to administrative regulated activities. He was also the boy's wrestling coach and the sponsor for her club meaning she spent a lot of time with him.

Which is why she felt guilty skipping out on her senior year of state, the year she would most likely win the title for the first time, to go to prom. Of course, that all depends on if someone would ask her… That aside, Erza knew that because she was the captain what she held a lot of influence over what the other girls did, especially those that were more timid. If Erza didn't go, they'd be much less likely to compete. That thought alone was almost enough to sway her decision, she couldn't let the team down, she was trying to be a leader and if that meant giving up senior prom then she'd just have to suck it up. No one had even asked her anyways.

With that in mind she replied to Cana with ease and confidence, "I'm not going to prom," she said, not the least be self-conscious of that fact. "I've put a lot of time into this and I don't want to waste all the hard work I've done." She knew in her heart she had a team to lead, at least, that's what she convinced herself of. The underclassmen, who couldn't go to prom due to being underclassmen, looked on with admiration, sure that they can be as confident as that as well. Erza was satisfied with her pep talk in disguise and walked out of the locker room after finishing tying her shoelace, Mirajane quickly following after her.

Practice was always a great release for Erza, for as long as she could remember she had been the type of person to feel very strong emotions but was unable to let them out, nothing worked better than taking on an opponent and fighting with all her strength to lessen the buildup of her long overdue expressions.

Her drill partner was of course Mira, she was the only one who really challenged Erza and the two we're rivals on the mat but that only made their bond outside of the sport that much stronger. They had been friends ever since the start of sophomore year when Erza started the club, the first person she asked to join was of course her best friend Lucy (at the time) and then Lucy encouraged Mira to join, which is how to two really started to become friends. After Lucy left the two behind, they both felt betrayed and that's what they bonded over. It was a little ironic that her ex-best friend is what led her to her current one but she didn't mind.

Drill after drill she allowed all her pent up aggression to form itself into something more productive. She had a truly great practice due to the fact that her feelings of Natsu weren't exactly crystal clear. She knew that she definitely liked the boy but she wasn't sure how to deal that. Erza didn't really get crushes like most girls do, in fact she had never really felt any strong feelings towards anyone in that way. It's not to say that she hasn't tried dating boys before, quite the contrary she's had a handful of boyfriends, however her relationships were short lived and far from intimate. She would get bored, but with Natsu, she felt like there was always more to learn. He was unpredictable and she couldn't control him, she loved it. Except, she also hated it. She didn't want to need Natsu, it scared her to place her trust in someone, she didn't want to appear weak; especially to Natsu who saw her fondly as a strong and confident girl.

Her thoughts shifted as she saw Mira's hand waved in front of her face and suddenly her ears began to work again. "Hello, earth to Erza, are you there?" she giggled. The team was sitting drinking water at the end of practice and just enjoying each others company after a tough workout.

Erza shook the remaining thoughts about Natsu out of her head and smiled at Mira, "Hmm, I was just caught up in thought," she told her, "you wouldn't understand." A smirk graced her face as she harassed her friend.

Far from being offended Mira only responded with her own remark, "You face is really red, Erza, were you daydreaming about a boy?" She teased in a singsong voice.

Erza was shocked for a moment as all the thoughts she just willed away came flooding back. Thinking the inner confines of her mind had been breached with how accurate Mirajane's joke was, she quickly stuttered out an excuse, "I-it's not like that!" She assured, "My face is only flushed because of the work out." Seeming much more confident now she laughed along with the rest of the team.

Mira's face showed genuine happiness, "Don't worry, Erza, we know you don't daydream, let alone about boys!" She giggled even more and the rest of the team joined in. Erza smiled and chuckled but hardly felt the joke like the other girls did. All things considering she honestly didn't mind the reputation she'd built for herself: self-sufficient, independent, driven. It was no bother to her if other people thought she was prudish because she was. Sure she knew how to flirt and could be extremely charming but after that she was lost, the furthest her relationships had ever gone was a make out session on the couch if they even lasted long enough for the boy to work up the courage to ask her to come over that is.

By the time she got home Erza was exhausted, however, before she retreated to her bed her homework needed to be conquered. The thought alone sent shivers down her spine. All she wanted was to curl up with a nice book and enjoy the rest of her night but she knew that wouldn't be the case. Erza was smart and responsible but sometimes things just passed without her giving it the attention it should get. One such thing included college. The thought alone almost gave her an anxiety attack. She was a perfectionist at times and it drove her crazy while submitting applications seeing the flaws that only the possession of a time machine could fix. It stressed her out, probably more than it should have.

She checked her grades again, looking over each assignment, making sure that what she was doing now was in her control. On that note she started her homework, it wasn't difficult, just time consuming. Halfway though she took a break to eat dinner, her parents were still out so she found a microwave dinner and heated it up. She didn't mind frozen dinners like that, she didn't think they tasted all that bad and it was quick and easy, sitting down for a home cooked meal probably wouldn't have fit in her schedule anyways.

Erza didn't get to bed that night until after two in the morning, it wasn't because of her homework, it was because she was reading and couldn't put her book down. Every time she said it would be her last chapter there would be a big cliffhanger that she just couldn't _not _read on. She sighed the next morning as she nearly chucked her alarm clock across the room. Waking up is hard to do and mornings we're like the spawn of Satan.

Her day passed fairly quickly, of which she was thankful for. It was the latter half of the middle of second semester so most of classes consisted of cramming in last minute material and projects before having to start studying for finals. She was tired because that was the third night in a row that she decided being a night owl was worth the price of a draining day. The only notable thing that happened was her being called down to guidance during her first block.

She stomped out of the classroom not all that excited to be missing work time. To make matter worse, the line at guidance was long, meaning it probably would've been smart of her to bring her book bag down with her. She sat down and patiently began waiting for her name to be called. Guidance was one of the worst places to wait at due to the fact that there wasn't that much space so there was quite a bit of people crammed into one room and everyone just sat there awkwardly staring at each other or twiddling with their phones.

Erza pulled out her phone and cursed the poor reception. She figured she could play an app to pass the time but honestly would've just preferred to be in her class. She looked up when she heard a familiar voice, "Erza, what are you doing here?" It was a deep questioning voice and she turned her head upwards and made eye contact with a blond haired boy with headphones on around his neck.

"Laxus," she greeted, "fancy seeing you here." He came and sat down next to her. "I believe I'm here to talk about college, at least I'm pretty sure. What about you?"

He shrugged, "I'm in the guidance office all the time." He told her as if it were obvious.

"You mean you cause problems all the time." Erza replied, knowing that it was true. She smiled. She and Laxus were actually pretty decent friends. They had a shaky start but she liked to think that underneath that tough bravado was someone much softer. As of this year there had been a big pink elephant sitting around because the two had woke up one day in the same bed spooning after a night out. Erza knew what happened because she wasn't _that _drunk but all the same she wasn't sure if the blond haired boy was right for her. The two only cuddled and flirted so it wasn't anything serious, but she had to wonder how he actually felt about her.

They acted as just friends and Erza knew that's all they were, she never considered him after realizing how she felt about Natsu. Even if she did like Laxus, she could never seriously date him because of those very same feelings. Natsu didn't know about her and Laxus' weird friendship-cuddle thing and she preferred to keep it that way. After all, she didn't really want to address the topic with Laxus, let alone anyone else.

However that was a month ago and things went back to normal for the two friends, they acted as if nothing ever happened and continued on with their standard interactions. It was an unspoken agreement between the two they would casually flirt but never consider each other seriously. Erza was fine with that, she enjoyed his company.

The two conversed quietly due to the fact that everyone else in the room was dead silent and hadn't even made an attempt to act as if they weren't eavesdropping. Erza asked him about his latest tales of trouble and laughed as he joked around. He was arrogant but somehow charming when it came to her. Laxus was actually fairly popular with the ladies and people in general. They liked him even though he could be a jerk, actually it seemed that those were the type of people that were the most popular. She pushed the thought aside and continued listening, that is until she heard her name called by the secretary.

Eager to get this meeting over with she waved goodbye to Laxus and strode into the office where her consoler sat scrolling through her computer screen. She sat down across from the woman and prepared herself for the mental onslaught of college application submissions and major related questions. She hated college talk, she wanted to ignore it and just let it work itself out like she did a lot of her other stress inducing problems but this wasn't something she could let time handle and that's what annoyed her the most.

Her consoler spoke up, "You are only submitting one application?" she said in a weird mix of shock and disapproval.

Erza replied looking more confident than she felt, "Yes," she told her, "to Fiore University."


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't that Erza was certain in the fact that she'd attend Fiore University, it was simply the idea of going to another school didn't seem right to her. She had spent an awful lot of time preparing her college essays and making sure everything fit perfectly into their system because if she didn't get in there she would have to go to community college.

It pained her to be stuck in the same place and she wanted nothing more than to be able to go to a big school and meet new people. Getting out of this town was number one on her priority list. It was quite the risk putting in only one application and Erza knew that, yet despite all signs pointing away from her current course she couldn't change tides just yet. It was weird but working up the energy to submit into other colleges just didn't seem to exist in her reservoir.

She left the counselor's office that morning feeling less sure of herself than when she had walked in and she cursed the system for giving her more doubts than she needed. Erza hated college even though she had yet to even attend. All the stress just seemed to sneak up on her. She couldn't decide what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, she didn't even really know what she was good at. Essentially, talking about school was a surefire way to put the redhead into despair.

* * *

><p>"Natsu!" A voice interrupted his current thoughts as he dug through a rather cluttered section of his closet that night. He chose to ignore the summons and instead continued with throwing items that didn't match what it is he was looking for. He listened half interested as the sound of steps marked that he was most likely about to get an earful of the worst type of parental lecture. Familiar with this scenario, he turned around to see the state of his room in complete disarray.<p>

He grumbled a curse word under his breath as the bedroom door opened without the customary knock. His mother stepped in and he watched her survey the room, her already peeved expression darkening as she saw the clutter he so carelessly threw about his room.

"Natsu," he could just hear the nag in her voice before she had even started berating him. "Your room is a mess" and so she began. The rant lasted for at least five minutes, something along the lines of 'keeping a tidy house' and 'all her hard work meaning nothing to him,' and who could forget 'don't ignore me, young man!'? He was steadfast on the track to becoming completely immune to her complaints when one stuck out to him enough to acknowledge it with a response. "I told you, you can't hang these posters up, they're distasteful."

His head shot up to make eye contact with the woman and he nearly screamed his head off that it was his room and no one ever came up there but him anyways so he had the right to organize and decorate it however he wanted. However, he stopped short and let her continue on with her pointless chastising. Natsu knew that no matter what he said, his mother would remain unconvinced. She was completely unreasonable and that was coming from a person like Natsu. In the end he learned to let her release all the badgering she needed to and silently ignore her while she went off. Eventually she'd tire herself out and leave.

As he predicted his mother left after giving him and his room one last disapproving stare which was effectively brushed to the side. His annoyance with his mom quickly evaporated as he'd finally found what it was he was searching for, "gotcha!" his victory cry echoed. In his hands he held a small pile of blank CDs that looked like little records. He loved music, it was something that was very important to him and so he when he found the burnable CDs that looked like records he was tempted to buy more than he'd ever probably need.

He left his spot on the closet floor and clicked through his laptop inserting the CD and picking out the different songs he wanted to put on it. His current quest was not for his own sake, but for Erza, whom he had promised a while back he'd make some CDs for because she seemed to like the same type of music as him.

He busied himself with the task, simply engrossed in the job at hand until he felt his phone vibrate, he looked down and saw a simple '_dinner is ready_' from his mom. He groaned because family dinners (which were most every night) could be considered the bane of his existence. That being said, he faced it like a man and slumped his way down the stairs and into his kitchen seat.

The table was set looking as if it were some fancy dinner meeting and he sighed at the formalities. He hated it but his family was what others may refer to as 'stuck up'. Not that Natsu was, actually he was far from it, but his parents were very uptight and hopelessly concerned themselves with appearances. The house always had to be cleaned, dinner was always a family event, and heaven forbid his room have an ounce of personality in it. He hated it because they projected their useless ideas onto him which he took just as seriously as he did Gray when the boy made fun of him.

His parents had to know that they were failing miserably but they chose to smile despite that and act as if Natsu was the perfect son (which he was far from). He hated their ignorance and resented them for it. It was one of the reasons he was so excited for college. He would go far, far away. As he stewed on his dreams of freedom he heard his dad's voice project itself through the high ceiling room, "Natsu, who have you asked to prom?" He asked, "You need to get your tux."

It was such a loaded question and Natsu knew it. Both his parents were aware of his fervent disregard for school activities, prom being no exception, and yet they continued to make him go. Every other time there had been an event which required a date he would go with Lisanna, his old girlfriend, but she transferred to a different school. This left Natsu in quite the predicament because there was no one else really who he felt would want to go with him.

A sudden memory flashed through him mind and he saw a blue haired girl smile kindly "_Who are you going to prom with, Erza?_" His mind shifted gears, _Erza…_ he thought and then shook his head. Almost smacking himself for thinking that Erza of all people would want to go to prom with him, let alone attend the event at all.

"I haven't asked anyone yet…" he replied back, knowing that they wouldn't be pleased. He tried to understand why it was so important to them that he went, they shouldn't care what he did. However, long ago he came to terms with the notion that him understanding his parents was about as likely as his parents understanding him. All in all, the atmosphere was usually tense around his house which he avoided as much as he could.

Dinner continued on in the same manner it typically did and Natsu was almost certain that it wasn't enjoyable for any of them but all the same they refused to deviate from their course and the family continued on with fake smiles and laughs.

Feeling exhausted after having to deal with the scrutiny of his parents, Natsu set off to his room, content to flip on a record and let his music wash out all the annoyances. He sat for a while not doing anything but enjoying that all the same until his phone lit up with a text from Levy, '_Do we have a vocab quiz in econ tomorrow?_' It was worded as a question but all the same it served as a reminder. The quiz completely slipped him mind and he quickly replied to Levy with his confirmation. Skipping his eyes across his room they landed on his notebook once he saw it he decided to start studying for the stupid quiz later, he wanted to relax for at least a little bit.

By the time he was ready to start his studying the clock had announced that it was nearing on 12:30. Thinking it was better late than never, he pounced on the red spiral bound pages and prepared himself to study at least a little bit. However, all his goals were quickly put to rest and tucked in tightly when he opened the first page of his notebook. "Empty! How can it be empty?! The semester is almost over!" He exclaimed to himself. After a small bout of depression for having no notes for the entire semester (and secretly being proud of that fact), he decided to use his secret weapon.

Whipping out his phone as if it were a sword he let his fingers fly across the touch screen. He was determined and the thin line where his grin once took up residence was proof enough. His stare set in complete concentration as a bead of sweat rolled down his face. He typed something and then hovered his finger over the send button. In a burst of pure willpower his thumb tapped down dramatically as if in slow motion.

He waited, with baited breath, not sure if he was about to get yelled at, ignored, or a simple helpful response. He prayed openly for the latter, after all, he could never tell what Erza was feeling and he hoped against all hope that his procrastination habits wouldn't land him a perpetual spot on her bad side once and for all.

* * *

><p>It was with the threat of failure looming over her mind that Erza settled down for a good long rest that night. She cursed the time when she saw that it was already twelve thirty. It wasn't too late by any means but even as she sat there with the lights turned off she couldn't keep her eyes closed for long. Between the shifting and turning, trying every which position and attempting to get comfortable, sleep was just baiting her. She was determined to succeed, that is until the soft vibration of her phone goaded her to give up the fruitless task.<p>

She picked up the device from her bedside table and glanced over the text message, it was from Natsu. Erza wasn't surprised necessarily but at the same time she was curious, Natsu typically wasn't the type of person who enjoyed text conversations, which was fine because Erza wasn't really either. However that didn't stop her from opening the message, '_what are the econ vocab words?_' it read.

She growled realizing that she would need to get her book bag, find her notebook and then take the time to send him pictures of the words. She lay in her bed debating whether or not it was worth it to help the boy but then decided that she wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon anyway.

With that resolved, she got up and began to ruffle through her stuff, as soon as she found it she took the pictures and sent them to Natsu. '_Thanks :)_' she read his reply and laughed at the idea of Natsu using a smiley face. She didn't know why but the thought amused her.

Not willing to let the conversation die just yet Erza sent her response, '_You should've written them down in class_ _like everyone else…_' She may have had a crush on the boy but that didn't mean he still didn't annoy her. After all, she was so close to actually going to bed at a semi-decent time for once.

Natsu, not knowing about the hardships she was forced to endure for his sake, only sent back '_but I have you!_' Erza grinned despite herself.

'_You're on your own next time_' Not one for mercy, she felt no pity making him suffer. The two continued back in forth, their own special way of conversing that was a mixture of sarcasm, witty remarks, and just plain nonsense (that mostly came from Natsu), until Erza felt her eyelids growing heavy. She felt her phone vibrate with Natsu's latest response but ignored it because she's just gotten in that comfortable position she was searching for during the last hour.

When morning came she was thankful she remembered to turn on her alarm, well, half thankful and half resentful because the stupid piece of technology emitted that dreadful noise she'd been conditioned to hate. She looked at her phone and saw the message she ignored the night before '_Goodnight, Erza_' it read. She smiled softly because Natsu was never one for doing simple things like that. The fact still remained that Natsu, the pink haired idiot, was actually quite sweet and she hated herself for the blush that crept up her cheeks.

By the time she saw Natsu that day during second block she was sure that she looked like a mess. Her red hair was extremely manageable but she never really felt the need, nor had the time, to make anything special of it. She simply let it cascade down her back knowing that it was thick enough that regardless of how many times she brushed it, the knots would find their way back in a matter of time. She wore a simply ensemble consisting of form fitting black exercise pants and a light grey V-neck. She never felt the need to try all that hard and frankly, getting up in the morning was far from worth it.

Natsu didn't look like he missed a wink of sleep and she had to wonder how he was able to juggle everything so much easier than she could. He grinned as a substitute greeting, it was so childish and she loved that about him. She knew that without Natsu around she would be much more introverted and serious. He was like a ball of sunshine the way he'd brighten up her day.

After the bell had rung they both took their respective seats and promptly, as if she had no choice in the matter, Erza allowed their teachers voice to lull her eyelids shut as her cheek rested against the palm of her hand. It was ten minutes later when she felt a tap on her arm. She opened her eyes to see who would dare interrupt her rest and saw it was Levy who both sat in front of her and behind Natsu.

It took a while but she noticed that Levy had two CDs in paper cases and we're pushing them towards Erza. She grabbed them and looked questionably down at them. She was still examining the two discs when she head Levy whisper, "They're from Natsu, he said it's the mix tapes he said he'd make you." Erza nodded to the girl and smiled politely. When Levy turned around to listen to the teacher Erza's eyes drifted to the familiar sight of pink hair and she let herself grin just a little bit.

A while back Erza and Natsu shared a seat on the bus ride home from one of Natsu's wrestling tournaments for the boy's team (of which Erza was the manager for) and he had showed her all his favorite types of music. A lot of it Erza was unfamiliar with but she saw how bright Natsu's smile got when she shared in a similar appreciation for the tracks. He'd told her that he would make a CD for her but she hadn't actually believed he'd do it. After all, if he was half as busy as her he would need some time to create a good CD.

* * *

><p>When Natsu turned around halfway through class he saw Erza asleep with her face buried in her arms. Rivulets of scarlet hair spread outward some trailing off the desk and he smirked as he turned around before he got yelled at.<p>

Erza always promoted good behavior and yet couldn't seem to keep herself from drifting off to sleep, he thought it was absolutely hilarious. He sat gazing out in the direction of the teacher since he was assigned to sit in the very front of the classroom but his mind was far from focused on the lesson. The only thing that occupied him was Erza as she coolly said "_no one has asked me…"_ The memory seemed random but it was at that moment when Natsu felt an incomplete niggling idea tiptoeing its way into his head.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: First things first, I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review and follow/favorite this story. It means a lot to me to be able to see what you guys all think. Secondly, I am truly sorry that it has taken me so long to upload. I foolishly started this over winter break and now that school is back in session I still need to collect my bearings before I have time to focus on writing. I pay waaaaay to much money for my education to slack in it so please bear with me as I attempt to juggle everything on my plate. Updating might take a while to stabilize but I'm hoping to get there as soon as I find my niche.

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><p>The rapping on the door bothered her more than it should have, that aside, her irritation persisted as she was unable to deafen it. Erza stood up from her spot on her bed to yank her bedroom door open, "What?" she asked shortly. She was unsurprised to see her mother standing there just as impatient as she was but still curious as to what the older woman could possibly need. She usually never bothered her and if she did, it would be via a phone call or text message. In fact, her even coming up the stairs simply meant one of two things: her mom had lost her phone (again), or it was something that couldn't be said through technology.<p>

"You're grandfather just passed away." There was bitterness in that sentence and for some reason Erza felt it was directed at her. She looked taken aback for a moment but quickly let her face melt back into an impassioned stare. By no means was she on good terms with her mother simply because she was never around to form the type of bonds most children had with their parents. However that being said, she wanted to embrace the woman for her loss but something was stopping her.

She didn't even know how to and was saved from that predicament when her mom filled the silence, "Me and Dad are leaving for his funeral, thought I should let you know, there is food in the fridge so you can help yourself to that." Abruptly she turned around and walked back down the stairs disappearing from Erza's sights.

Erza stood there stunned, feeling a weight in her stomach multiply exponentially with each passing thought. Her mother didn't even invite her to the funeral… In her defense, she was never all that close to her granddad, she only really met the man a couple of times and that was when she was quite young so his passing didn't really matter all that much to her. She felt sick thinking that, knowing it was another disappointment to add to the list. She chalked it all up to needing someone to watch the dog even though even she knew that was a weak excuse. Her mom didn't want her there, even if it was just for comfort, but she chose to pretend that explanation never even ran into her thoughts.

She sat down back on her bed, picking up the book she was reading before her mom knocked on her door and let all the worrying thoughts slowly ease away from the forefront of her mind.

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><p>Natsu stood in front of a cash register waiting for the clock to finally pick up its pace and reach closing time. He worked at a frozen yogurt shop and it was decidedly unpopular at 10:30 on a Tuesday night. Resting his cheek on his hand he allowed his thoughts to take over, remembering that thought he had the other day in econ. He knew it was a crazy idea but he also knew that Erza, though seemingly straight forward, would often surprise him.<p>

He was by no means shy but relationships weren't really his thing, they never occupied him as much as they did other people, at least, not romantic ones. He knew it didn't even have to be romantic though and that's what was convincing him of this idea, at least, that's what he thought it wasn't. It couldn't have been the way Erza's hair looked when she would run her hand through it, messing it up enough for it to look like it was a style, or the way she would glare at him when he said something deemed ridiculous. He stopped before he got carried away, it wasn't any of those reasons anyways, he would ask her but only because he _had _to go to prom and she still hadn't been asked.

That resolve in mind, he sighed and looked at the clock, 10:32, it read. "Seriously?! It's only been two minutes!" he squawked in frustration, not caring that the couple enjoying their dessert looked at him strangely for the outburst. He resigned himself to the last half hour of his shift, none too happy about the prospect.

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><p>Erza sat in front of the screen she was sharing with Natsu, her eyes flickered to the page resting on her left and she picked it up and pushed in front of his view. "Fill this out." She demanded. Econ was definitely not her strong suit and she hated it because her father always wanted her to follow in his footsteps. She wanted to because the fear of not being able to adapt to a new lifestyle than she was used to was terrifying.<p>

Erza knew her family was well off and she was quite thankful for that fact but now that she's grown up her whole life having the world at her fingertips the shoes she needed to fill seemed exponentially bigger. Which is why her miserable performance in econ posed a problem.

Natsu looked at the paper forced into is face and his eyebrow twitched at the demand but he filled it out anyways. Erza was annoyed that this came so easily to him, he filled in each question as if he was copying it from some place he'd read before.

"Okay, that's the last of it! I'm going to enter in our prices, we're in second place so maybe if the other team does badly we'll win." He told her with confidence. She really hoped they would win, she needed the extra credit the winners got.

It was the last round of the econ project competition and throughout the past couple of classes the banter (and interaction in general) between the students had increased tenfold. Natsu, in Erza's mind, was mostly likely the culprit, however, she _may _have played a role in spreading the discourse but she was far from admitting that.

The current standing now spoke for the pair as it was a close match between first and second place. The rest of the students seemed to catch the fruitlessness of the situation and stopped actually trying two rounds ago. Natsu refused to give up even when they were in last place for the better half of the tournament and secretly, Erza didn't want to either. It was just some stupid school project but she wanted to win more than anything.

The two waited as the screen changed to show the rankings. At first Erza was confused, her team was in the same place meaning that they got second (which still received extra credit, just less). That, however, wasn't the confusing apart, above them was a team that Natsu had spent most of the class mocking, the one that stayed in last place ever since they moved up.

"I can't believe the team that was the worst throughout the whole game won…" He said despondently. He sulked in his chair as Erza began to pack up their supplies, she was more amused by his sudden depression than she was upset by them not getting first.

"We still get the extra credit," she told him, trying her best to be consoling but she was absolutely terrible at that sort of thing. Natsu shrugged and then pulled his usual bipolar, overactive move and began picking a fight with the person sitting at the table next to them.

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><p>In due time Natsu found himself walking side by side with Erza like he usually did every other day but this time, it was a little different. He felt… nervous. It was a strange sensation since never before had he even cared enough about what other people thought to feel worried about how someone would react to his antics. However, as he walked beside her, half listening to the rant she was going on about, his insides cringed at the idea of her rejecting him.<p>

His time with her was nearing its end as the hallway where their paths diverged was fast approaching. "You haven't been asked to prom yet have you?" He blurted out, not sure if he interrupted her because by that time he had stopped listening completely (she would be so mad if she knew that).

He watched as she considered him, "No… I haven't," she said, feinting ignorance but he knew she was sharp enough to see where he was heading. He could not tell what she was thinking, she was so good at keeping a blank face and he found that he could spend forever trying to figure out what was really going on behind all of that. At that moment though, he wished she could have at least given him a hint as to what was going inside that red haired noggin of hers.

"We could go together," he said. It was awkward sounding and he wasn't used to his voice taking on that trait, "I mean, if you wanted to" He quickly amended knowing that it sounded even more rushed as he added that.

Erza's eyes stared straight ahead, her face even more blank than it was before, he braced himself for her rejection, still not all that sure why he even cared so much. Despite all his preparation for disappointment, it never came, "Sure, that's fine with me," her voice was steady and it lacked the nervousness that his contained but he was too pleased with himself to stew on it. He kept on walking forward not knowing that Erza had already tuned the other direction and waved goodbye.

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><p>She was almost one hundred percent sure her face was the same shade as her hair. Natsu, in his own awkward way, had actually asked her to prom. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She didn't know what to think and was more than grateful to part ways with him, muttering a short goodbye, too caught up in her own thoughts to realize that he didn't reply.<p>

This was more than she could have ever asked for and she just wanted to shout it from the rooftops but knew that if she wanted to keep some semblance of control she'd have to at least appear as if she didn't care too much. Erza hated that about herself, she always needed to act more hardhearted in order to not let her emotions dominate her. That being said, she was a having a hard time keeping that philosophy. She wanted to share this news with everyone, however, she kept moving onward on her path to class attempting to control the excitement. She walked steadily albeit, with a small skip in her step.


	5. Chapter 5

Erza was impatiently awaiting wrestling practice that afternoon. She sped down the halls quite a bit faster than she would have normally. For the rest of her day she had lamented on the fact that she had so few close friends who she could share her good news with. That aside, she had all practice with Mirajane which she was greatly looking forward to.

Upon arriving at the locker room she saw Mirajane sitting on one of the benches. Erza let a smile slip onto her face as she greeted her best friend, however it quickly left when a sudden realization struck her. If she is going to prom with Natsu, she wouldn't be able to make it to the tournament. Her frustration took hold as she knew that if she didn't go the team itself would likely fall apart. After all, what type of captain misses the most important event of the season?

She tried to shake the feeling in her stomach that weighed on her heavily. Erza was the type of person who had an unease constantly looming over her. She wasn't sure if it was because of all the stuff that had been going on in her life recently or something else but she had no idea how to dispel it. That being said, this new turn of events seemed to only amplify its presence. She sighed, internally hating the fact that she was going to be letting people down for her own selfish reasons.

"Mira," Erza said, less excited now and more regretful. "Natsu asked me to prom today." Those words that she had initially been so thrilled to share suddenly felt empty once she realized the implications. Her friend however, seemed all too pleased with this new information if the cheerful squeal was any indication.

Mirajane jumped up from her seat and laughed, "That's great news Erza! I'm so happy for you!" Erza had to hand it to Mirajane, she was genuinely happy for her, something Erza wasn't quite sure she would be if the roles were reversed. Apathy seemed to be her close friend and Erza hated that. It was one of the reasons that her crush on Natsu was so intense because never before had she really felt so much for a person.

Erza's eyes turned downcast, "But that means I won't be able make it to state…" she voiced her latest concerns out loud.

Mira, however, didn't seem to see this as even a minor problem, "So what?" she challenged. "I can be captain in your place." It was reassuring. Erza didn't doubt Mira's skill in the sport but at the same time her capacity to inspire that fire in others seemed to dull in comparison to her own. Simply put, she wasn't necessarily the take charge type which was one of the reasons their relationship worked so well. Still, she almost wanted to be selfish this time around. She was tired of doing things to please others. Joining sports teams, clubs, getting good grades, she'd done it all and it still didn't warrant her parent's attention. To say that she was bitter would be an understatement.

The irony was not lost on her, she had parents who never paid any attention to her. No curfew, the idea of getting grounded was a joke, and a vast amount of freedom and yet, she never took advantage of any of this. By all means, the pressure to perform well would seem nonexistent and yet Erza knew she wasn't doing all this for herself. She was doing it to show them that she could be someone they could be proud of. In a lot of ways it taught her the responsibility that seemed almost innate now, indeed, she felt much older than most of her classmates.

Despite that resolve, her heart was leading her toward finally doing something for the sake of her own sanity, for her happiness. Subconsciously, she knew that she was going to prom and tried to prepare herself for the guilt she'd feel for it later by stuffing it in that pit in her brain that held all the things she wished to be ignorant of.

Her practice that day was far from her best. With every thought acting as a leech she found that her positivity was in short supply. She tried to put on her usual performance, the pep talk she typically gave at the end of practice sounded rehearsed to her own ears but she knew that regardless of that her lips were turned upwards in what resembled a smile but surely didn't feel like one.

When Erza got home she was greeted by an empty house which in itself wasn't unusual and that thought made her quite resentful. She tried to pin point the sinking feeling that just seemed to grow the more she stewed on it. It was loneliness, she realized. She pulled out her phone, wanting to talk to someone but not knowing who. Her fingers moved to Natsu's contact but rather than clicking it she hovered over it before locking the screen. Having faced this dilemma many times before she knew that she wouldn't actually call anyone, least of all Natsu.

Woefully, she started on her homework knowing that she'd have to scrounge up some dinner later, her parents wouldn't be home from her grandpa's funeral for another day and that left her with the typical choices since cooking was most certainly far from her strong suit.

A couple hours later, as she was settling into bed, exhausted both physically and mentally but still unable to fall asleep anyways, she dwelled on her day. Erza hated how one negative thought seemed to sweep any positive ones away like dust bunnies. She couldn't stand that about herself. That being said, she needed to quickly come to terms with this latest issue, she couldn't let it get to her and she knew that even if it was tempting to obsess over it, the solution was simple: to choose one and forget the other, either way she would be missing out on something and she needed to get over this indecisiveness. Prom was what she wanted to do, she knew this and so she would deal with consequences later. At that moment, with reckless abandonment, she truly admitted to herself that she would do this for herself and no one else and that almost made it all better.

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><p>When Natsu told his parents that he asked Erza to prom at dinner that night, he was not expecting the bombardment of demands made afterwards. After a quick approving comment everything that came out of their mouths subsequently seemed to only add to the growing list of hassles. Tuxes, tickets, pictures, groups, dinner; it's as if they expected him to know all this the second he made up his mind to ask her. How many times would he have to repeat that he 'didn't know yet' that night?<p>

With his annoyance growing he realized that they were most likely the reason he hated school dances so much. He could hardly stand their stifling presence and would give anything for their attention to be directed at someone else for a change. However, hell would most likely freeze over before that ever happened.

As dinner was nearing its end, he watched as his parents exchanged serious glances, not liking the idea of them conspiring against him directly in front of him. He readied himself for anything, more importantly, for blocking out all their incessant nagging.

His dad prompted his eye contact, "Natsu, we have something important to tell you."

Resisting the urge to say _"just spit it out already" _he simply nodded his head to show he was listening.

There was a prolonged silence and something told him that perhaps this was not the same as all the other 'important announcements' that had been declared at this very same dinner table. After clearing his throat in an attempt to buy time rather than the actual need to do so, his father finally spoke up.

"Last week I went to the doctor and they found some unsettling things." He began. Natsu's breath didn't seem to want to leave his lungs as he waited in anticipation. "They found a small tumor in my brain." He watched his mother's eyes well up with tears and silently spill over. He was too shocked to say anything and instead just sat there silently.

His face was as blank as his mind as he just stared ahead. Having once been so eager to leave the table he found that he couldn't even move from his chair at the moment. The family sat in uncomfortable quiet. Natsu knew that his parents were waiting for him to say something, possibly for him to even move but he couldn't. Even so, his dad carried on.

"I didn't want to worry you. They said it's small and that it can be removed but, well, brain surgery isn't exactly something that can't go wrong…" That implication is what finally brought him back and he solemnly nodded his head.

"There isn't much we can do now but stay positive, I just wanted to tell you." His dad finished his announcement and Natsu took that as his opportunity to return to his bedroom.

He collapsed on his bed not sure what to make of everything his dad just told him. He felt a tugging in his chest and he wanted nothing more than to crush it, hating this feeling. Natsu was a happy person and it made him stronger, he didn't often feel so sad and it was hard for him to cope. His nerves were screaming at him, it was a different kind of nervousness than what he felt earlier that day when he was talking to Erza. Those nerves almost felt good, these however, were eating away at his insides.

He shut his eyes and saw the white circle that was the afterimage of the light he'd been staring at since he laid down. He focused on that light not wanting to think about anything else at the time. Steadily, he felt himself calming down, his hands, which previously had been shaking, stopped and his breathing evened out. Eventually he opened his eyes again and began working on his homework.

Natsu didn't really put much effort into the paper he was writing, but he didn't care, his mind was elsewhere. After initially hearing about his dad's ailment he was shocked, by now though, the idea was sinking in and a part of him felt extremely guilty. He knew that there was no way in which this was his fault but all the resentment and hate he'd been feeling for his parents suddenly felt like a fierce betrayal. He didn't know how to feel anymore. On one hand, there was no way he would ever agree with them on their ideas, but on the other, he loved them all the same and they loved him. It was a dysfunctional family, far from perfect, but it was still his family and he couldn't forget that.

He stopped working on his paper and instead put on a record. It was one of his favorites but he couldn't enjoy it as much as he usually did. Sitting on his floor with his back resting against the wall he simply let the music wrap itself around his consciousness. By the end of the song he was surprised to feel the wet tear tracks cascading down his face. He hadn't even noticed that he started crying and yet, once he did he couldn't seem to stop it.

He let the record play the next track, it was more upbeat and happy sounding then the first song, contrasting greatly with is current mood but he couldn't stop his tears from silently falling down his face. It was then that for the first time in a long time, Natsu felt afraid. He indulged himself for a little longer, knowing in the morning he'd have to pull himself together and go to school. His father was right, there was nothing more they could do than stay positive but that didn't stop him from wishing there was.

After a few moments he'd calmed himself down again and fetched his phone tempted to call someone and let every doubt he had spill out. As his thumb hesitated over Erza's contact he sat and thought for a little if he was ready for that. Knowing that he wasn't he set his phone down, feeling stupid for even picking it up to begin with. He turned his lights off and crawled into bed knowing that tomorrow would be a better day, he promised himself that.


	6. Chapter 6

"Stop," Erza heard the girl sitting next to her mutter discretely. Obliging, she lifted her pencil from the notebook paper. She'd been making tally marks for the last seven seconds, counting the marks it totaled to twelve in all. With a small grin she nodded to the girl, Cana, and began the systematic process of MASH. It was nearing the final semester of her senior year and the game hadn't been played since middle school. That aside, the nostalgia was far too tempting when Cana had suggested it halfway through the mind numbingly boring lecture. Already the girl's had reached their fifth one and yet it was more interesting to play the stupid game than listen to the teacher go on about business law.

"Hmm yes," Erza murmured in contemplation, "I see, that makes sense." She nodded her head curtly as if reading a report and agreeing with the argument in proposed.

Cana watched on with relatively rapt attention in light of the current lecture proceeding in the front of the classroom, "Well?" She questioned the redhead.

"According to this, your future husband is Bora." Erza informed her plainly.

"What?! That creep who drugs girls at parties?!" Cana exclaimed, "Why is he even on there?!" Appalled at the idea she realized belatedly that her last reply was a far cry from the whispering before. Now garnering the attention of the whole class she sent a sideways glance to Erza who was stifling a laugh behind her textbook. "Sorry!" She cried embarrassed to the teacher. He shook his head in dismay knowing that most of the class had already mentally checked out of his lesson ten minutes into the lecture.

"It's really a rumor, you know, you shouldn't be spreading stuff like that." Erza reprimanded Cana as the two walked out of the classroom together.

Cana didn't look the least bit disturbed by that fact, instead she countered with, "I'm not spreading rumors. I'm keeping all the girl's safe from his lecherous ways!" The noble proclamation was met with Erza's practiced deadpan. She knew the real problem was that Bora's reputation made it that much more difficult for the brunette to accept alcohol from people at parties worry-free.

"Sure, sure…" She said subdued. The two walked down the hallway before Erza noticed a blob of pink pass by. He was looking down as if contemplating something (which looked quite odd on his usual carefree face) and didn't seem to notice the two. Erza was fine with that, after all they weren't dating, and he didn't have any obligation to notice her. She looked forward really only staring at the boy for less than a second, however that was enough for Cana to notice.

"Speaking of future husbands," She teased, pointedly shifting her eyes in the direction Natsu had just passed. Erza raised her eyebrows, used to this type of reaction when it came to Cana. She seemed to have paired the two together ever since she found out they were friends. It unnerved Erza a little to listen to Cana's rants about how they were destined to be together, as if she read it in the cards or some other psychic nonsense. For the most part, it was as if she was voicing everything Erza herself wanted to admit to but would never dare utter aloud.

In spite of what was running through her thoughts she simply shook her head in dismay, "Friends, Cana, do you not understand the meaning of that word?" She asked exasperated.

"Sure, sure…" Erza growled when Cana mimicked her from not moments before. Realizing the shift in the conversation she thought back to Natsu and his relatively strange behavior that morning. Even with him she could never be sure what stupidity he'd spew from his mouth that day but at least there was a typically a quota the he was determined to meet. That being said, he'd been an off sort of dejected mood for the short time she'd spoke with him that day. Granted, their conversation had lasted for mere minutes and it was rather early in the morning but a small part of her brain screamed that something was wrong. However, it was immediately silenced with the much more pronounced thought of him telling her when he felt he needed to.

With that resolve in mind she shrugged him from her thoughts, it wasn't right to think about someone that much in her mind. Natsu had been on her mind far too much recently and although thinking about him was like taking a vacation from school, she had to get back to much more pressing matters. Namely, college. Having delayed submitting her application for majority of the year, Erza was at her wit's end when the subject cropped up. In hindsight, applying to one school most likely could be her downfall. Sighing she let that thought consume her as she took her seat in the cafeteria.

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><p>Natsu was never one to count sheep but he would try anything humanly possible to prompt sleep to overtake him. He sat in Spanish, cheek resting heavily in his palm with half lidded eyes blankly facing the board. Having reached twenty-seven sheep at least three times now he realized that he kept losing count somewhere on his way to a hundred and had to start over multiple times. In short, he would most likely have better luck falling asleep to the teacher's foreign voice rather than distracting himself over dumb sheep.<p>

Not feeling particularly up to taking notes that morning but having nothing else to distract himself with, he sat in his chair trying (and failing) to sleep. However, he wasn't one to fall asleep after having already been up for a while and so the act was near impossible to begin with.

After having heard his father's news the night before he found himself going through the motions of heading off to school with surprising ease. It would seem that auto pilot was successful in getting him where he needed to go. The same couldn't be said for the rest of his life, but he hadn't expected as much. So far, his usual antics took an extreme decline as per the usual. If anyone noticed, they didn't voice it, to which he was grateful for. He didn't feel like explaining anything and was far from being able to make sense of all he was feeling. So instead he abandoned his typical behavior for something much more subdued.

He knew it would only be a matter of time before he bounced back from this, he was nothing if not resilient, and he knew for a fact that his dad would be fine. Natsu figured that he shouldn't even have to worry. There would be an operation but it would be fine, his dad would be fine, he would be fine.

As the day progressed, Natsu came to a shocking conclusion: school was a much different place when he actually observed what was going on around him rather than only obliviously loitering around what was directly in front of him. Having given up on the idea of sleeping though the day after his failed attempts first period, he decided to sit and people watch instead. At first he was bored but then he started to notice the silent looks sent between people, the hushed conversation of the giggling girls behind him, and him, the silent observer. It was somewhat amusing and an unexpectedly great activity to pass time.

By the end of what would later be marked as the most soundless day of his high school career, he learned quite a bit of information. None of which was related to the subjects he attended. Instead he found out about an apparently "_amazingly dope_" party that happened over the weekend and how "_they hooked up but she was _totally _smashed and he was completely sober_". All in all, it was interesting to say the least, it shocked him how much people said not realizing someone might be listening.

Stewing on all the useless gossip he'd collected that day he didn't notice when he, quite literally, ran into someone. _Erza_, his mind supplied as he caught a wisp of the scent strawberry. He shook his head, knowing that surely he had gone crazy if he automatically assumes the first person he runs into is her. He pushed away the realization that he knew what Erza smelt like for the moment and instead looked down at the girl that he'd run directly into.

To his surprise it wasn't Erza but Lucy, who sat on her bottom, papers splashed about the hallway floor staring up at him with a mix of shock and embarrassment. He knelt down to help her collect her things when she spoke, "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." She told him.

Natsu knew for a fact he wasn't either so her apology was mostly pointless. However, instead of sharing that with her, his mouth seemed to work all on its own (not that he usually thought through what he said) and blurted out, "Why do you smell like Erza?"

The mental face palm was loud even for Natsu's standards. He watched as Lucy's face, which was blushing before, had turned bright red at that statement and she quickly averted her eyes, gathering the few stay papers and standing up. Natsu followed her, not sure if he should try and brush over the weird question or just walk away.

"W-well," Lucy seemed to want to answer that question for him, "after gym I wanted some spray and Erza was there and let me borrow hers." She answered him quickly. He saw the awkward side of Lucy that didn't seem to exist anymore recently, and he was seconds away from inviting her to walk with him when out of the girl's restroom Ultear popped out.

"Thanks for waiting Lucy!" She said cheerfully. Natsu rolled his eyes, Ultear was currently Lucy's best friend and the changes she's enacted out of the blonde were mostly not for the better. It was never bad to have confidence, but slowly, Lucy was letting that become arrogance. Natsu hated it and he watched as Lucy predictably became someone he didn't want to associate with whenever Ultear showed up.

Ultear glanced his way, "I'll see you guys later," he dismissed himself as quickly as possible, not wanted to get dragged into whatever stupid conversation they were about to have. Instead, he rushed down the hall leaving blinking faces in his wake. In his rush, however, one thought still didn't slip his mind: even if that wasn't Erza, he still knew it was her scent. The light blush that tickled his cheeks did little to hide that fact.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Ahem… well, this update was exceptionally slow. To make things even worse, I hadn't even realized that I left off at such a bad spot too. I'm so cruel. However, to make up for it, I added more cuteness. Natsu is so adorable when he's embarrassed. That aside, thank you to those who follow/favorite/reviewed, getting those notifications is what spurred me into writing this, to that, much is obliged!


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